About Sokcho
A port city between Seoraksan and the East Sea, embracing two lakes. Sokcho in numbers and a timeline.
Sokcho at a glance
- Population (as of late August 2026)
- 78,788people
- Households
- 41,077Households
- Area
- 105.75km²
- Administrative divisions
- 8dongs
- Tong · Ban
- Tong 250, Ban 1,223
- City status
- 1963years
8 administrative dongs
Daepo-dong and Nohak-dong, which take in the slopes of Seoraksan, make up over 80% of the area, while the population is concentrated in the downtown dongs. (Administrative district data as of August 1, 2025)
| Administrative dong | Area (km²) | Area ratio | Tong | Ban (neighborhood unit) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yeongnang-dong | 7.63 | 7.2% | 16 | 77 |
| Dongmyeong-dong | 0.80 | 0.8% | 18 | 85 |
| Geumho-dong | 1.43 | 1.4% | 31 | 152 |
| Gyo-dong | 2.75 | 2.6% | 37 | 202 |
| Nohak-dong | 20.31 | 19.2% | 53 | 279 |
| Joyang-dong | 6.01 | 5.7% | 58 | 279 |
| Cheongho-dong | 0.61 | 0.6% | 22 | 86 |
| Daepo-dong | 66.21 | 62.6% | 15 | 63 |
13 legal dongs Yeongnang-dongJangsa-dongDongmyeong-dongGeumho-dongJungang-dongGyo-dongCheonghak-dongNohak-dongJoyang-dongCheongho-dongDaepo-dongDomun-dongSeorak-dong
The name "Sokcho"
Land where an ox lies
One explanation holds that Solsan hill next to Yeonggeumjeong looks like pine trees and grass bundled together, and the terrain resembles a lying ox (wau-hyeong), so the characters 束 (bundle) and 草 (grass) were used, meaning 'bundling grass to feed the ox.'
The story of Ulsanbawi Rock
Another story says the name comes from a legend that Ulsanbawi Rock was tied up with rope twisted from horsetail grass that grew between Cheongchoho and Yeongnangho Lakes.
History
Paleolithic · about 20,000 years ago
About 5,900 artifacts from this period were unearthed at an apartment site in Cheongho-dong.
Prehistoric era · Joyang-dong Prehistoric Site
A site with 7 pit-dwelling remains and 2 dolmens, designated a National Historic Site (No. 376) in 1992.
- 1937.7.1 Docheon-myeon renamed Sokcho-myeon (束草面), and Sokcho-ri split into sections 1–4 (township office moved from Daepo-ri to Sokcho-ri)
- 1942.10.1 Sokcho-myeon upgraded to Sokcho-eup
- 1945.8.24 Under communist rule north of the 38th parallel; Sokcho-eup downgraded to Sokcho-myeon
- 1950.10.1 Recovery of the Yangyang area (including Sokcho) north of the 38th parallel
- 1953.8.18 Incorporated into South Korea, placed under military administration, and restored to Sokcho-eup
- 1954.11.17 Transfer to civilian administration
- 1963.1.1 Sokcho-eup upgraded to Sokcho City (Act No. 1176)
- 1966.1.1 Village rites held in 12 dongs
- 1973.7.1 Jangcheon-ri and Sajin-ri, Toseong-myeon, Goseong County incorporated into Jangsa-dong (13 dongs)
- 1983.2.15 Part of Sangbok-ri, Ganghyeon-myeon, Yangyang County incorporated into Seorak-dong
- 1990.4.1 Sajin-dong and Jangcheon-dong merged into Jangsa-dong
- 1998.10.17 Administrative dongs merged from 13 to 8 (13 legal dongs, 8 administrative dongs)
Ad
City symbols
City tree
Ginkgo tree
City flower
Chrysanthemum
City bird
Pigeon
Sokcho City's characters (Jjani & Raeyo) and emblem are registered trademarks, so they are not shown on this site.
Sokcho Weather (2014~2023 average)
Average annual temperature 13.1℃, annual precipitation about 1,459 mm. August, at the tail end of summer, is the rainiest month.
Highest max. temperature (1968~2023)
38.7℃
2018.08.05
Lowest min. temperature (1968~2023)
-16.4℃
2016.01.24
Highest precipitation (1968~2023)
314.2mm
1984.09.02
Highest max. wind speed (1968~2023)
30.5m/s
2006.10.23